Dental surgery techniques continually advance. One technique that is quickly being adopted is air abrasion cavity preparation. In this technique, small particles of aluminum oxide (Al.sub.2 O.sub.3), typically between 17 to 50 microns in size, are used, under air pressure, for removal of incipient decay. Among the advantages of this technique are that it allows removal of decay without the need for anesthetic, without the attendant residual anesthetic numbness. Moreover, it is available for patients who are sensitive to anesthetics. Moreover, air abrasion cavity preparation eliminates noise, odor, vibration, and the negative psychological connotations associated with the typical dental handpiece.
A problem with air abrasion is the wear and tear on conventional dental mirrors. The aluminum oxide particles adversely affect the reflective integrity of the conventional dental mirror, requiring their constant replacement, which is expensive for the dentist, thereby raising the cost of dental care.
Accordingly, there is a need for dental mirrors that can be used with air abrasion caries removal systems. Moreover, it is necessary that the mirror be sterilized between uses to avoid cross infection of patients. The equipment in most dental offices for sterilization is an autoclave. Accordingly, there is need for a dental mirror that is not only abrasion resistant, but also autoclavable multiple times, and preferably at least 50 times.